What Marketers Should Know About Facebook's New Algorithm

Let’s say you have 10,000 likes on your company’s Facebook page. Yesterday, you posted a behind-the-scenes photo of your team at an end-of-summer BBQ. Last night, you checked the post, and out of your 10,000 followers, only 14 people liked it. Seriously?

Does this sound familiar? Several years ago, Facebook launched its News Feed algorithm, once commonly referred to as “EdgeRank.” The algorithm tracks the type of content a person most often engages with and surfaces similar content as a way to entice that person back to Facebook. Which is nice for Facebook. But for us
social media managers
? It means that on most days, only a small fraction of our followers will actually see anything we post.

In light of
Facebook’s recent changes
to its algorithm, we’re breaking down how it works—plus easy ways to get the most eyeballs on the content you’re working (freakin’ hard!) to create and publish.

How it Works

If you manage your company’s Facebook page, you’re likely very familiar with that little number on the bottom left hand corner of each post. That number tells you how many News Feeds that specific piece of content has popped up in, based on how the algorithm has ranked it.

The algorithm gives your content a score based on three factors.

1. Affinity Score

This is the relationship you have to each of your followers. Do you interact with their content often, and vice versa? Do you share mutual friends? Your photo or update has a better chance of popping up on the News Feed of an avid fan who is liking and commenting on your posts than it does for someone who just follows you.

2. Edge Weight

This is the weight Facebook gives to the type of content you’re posting (e.g., videos, photos, links) and the way your followers are interacting with that content (liking, commenting, sharing). While there isn’t a great deal of transparency into the algorithm, it’s been reported that photos and videos are ranked higher than links, and sharing and commenting is ranked higher than liking. So if your photo got 14 likes, 0 comments, and 0 shares, it likely won’t show up in as many News Feeds as it would if it got 0 likes, 7 comments, and 7 shares.

3. Time Decay

This looks at much time has passed—newer content has a better chance of popping up in your followers’ News Feed than something you posted two weeks ago. That said, Facebook just launched “story bumping,” which means that popular posts will now have a greater chance of appearing at the top of a News Feed if it is getting a lot of likes and comments, even if it’s a few hours old.

How to Make it Work For You

Incorporate Engagement

Instead of just posting a photo of your summer BBQ, ask your followers to “like” the photo if they’ve had a great summer or are enjoying end-of-summer BBQs of their own. If you’re posting a link to an article, ask your followers to weigh in with their thoughts on the topic. Play games, like “Fill in the Blank” or “Caption Contest.” The
more engagement you can inspire
, the more widely Facebook will share your content.

Make Great Content

Posting links to your press releases (yawn) is probably not going to get many likes, comments, or shares. But posting homemade videos, original photos, and fun visual graphics? Definitely. Take a page out of your own social book: What type of content makes you hit that "Like" button or comment? And what type of content do you just usually scroll on by?

Post at Specific Times

Take a look at your Facebook analytics—when are the most people interacting with your posts? At night? Lunch time? Maximize the number of people seeing your content by posting the best of the best during the timeframes that have proved to be successful in the past. Hint: Don’t be afraid of weekends!

Over the last several years, Facebook has evolved its News Feed algorithm and continues to do so. The good news? The company announced last month that it will share any future changes it makes to the algorithm
on its blog
. So keep your eyes peeled!

Have you struggled with the Facebook algorithm? Found any useful tips? Share your stories with us here!

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Alex Honeysett is a Brand and Marketing Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands, human-to-human. After spending nearly a decade working in PR and marketing for multimillion dollar brands and startups, Alex knows what truly drives conversions, sold-out launches, and *New York Times* interviews—and it’s not mastering the marketing flavor of the week. It’s how well you connect with the heart-beating people you’re trying to help and communicate your understanding back to them. Alex has landed coverage in print and broadcast outlets around the world, including the Today Show, *Wall Street Journal*, Mashable, BBC, NPR, and CNN. Her own articles have been featured in The Muse, *Forbes*, *Inc.*, Mashable, DailyWorth, and *Newsweek*. In addition to her extensive PR and marketing experience, Alex is a trained business coach.